The Befores and the Afters
by pinktonks
Summary: fifty one word drabbles varying in length, packed with excess Longshot/ Smellerbee fluff. please enjoy and R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**28. Abuse**

When he found her, she was a total wreck. She was laying on a bed of the forest's red, red leaves, asleep. She was covered in blood, though, and he knew what had happened to her; The way she kept her legs close to her body, rolled over onto her side, protecting her center, told him everything he needed to know. He shook his head and went to aid the young victim.


	2. Chapter 2

**9. Innocence**

She didn't quite understand what had happened to her until later on in her life, when things had changed. She'd been a young girl, carefree and innocent, unknowing of the cruelties of life that hid at the edges of her world, constantly threatening, but never actually touching her.

The day her village burned down, she stopped being that girl. When the boy had picked her up and carried her to that magical fairy land of tree top homes, she began her second life.


	3. Chapter 3

**22. Name**

"Who are you?" The boy with the cocky grin and shaggy black hair asked her. She was clean, and she had food in her stomach. Beside the shaggy boy stood the silent one, his hat tilted down, covering his eyes. She could feel the question hanging in the air, weighed down by the hidden meanings. It was test, no doubt.

"I…I don't know yet. I know I'm not the person I was before, but I don't really know who I am now. Things have changed." She replied after weighing her words.

"Well, if you want, you can be a Freedom Fighter…"The shaggy boy offered. So that's what they were. Freedom Fighters. She had nothing left, and nowhere to go. She figured that this would be better than going on the streets.

"Okay…" She whispered, eying him. She'd lost her omnipresent faith in the general population.

"Now all we need to do is figure out a name." The boy said. "We don't have normal names here; my name is Jet, and this here is Longshot." He gestured to the silent boy.

"So what is my name going to be?" She asked, reclining against the tree behind her.

"Smellerbee." A quiet, alien voice. She'd never heard it, but she knew that it was an important one to her.

"When Longshot speaks, it's usually for a good reason. So… Smellerbee work for you?" Jet asked in his cool countenance. She nodded. She trusted Longshot.


	4. Chapter 4

_**12. Options**_

Smellerbee stood in front of the shelves in the armory. In her previous life, she would have never pegged herself to be in this position- that was left to her brothers. But now, every Freedom Fighter had their own weapon, and it was her time to pick one and begin training.

Jet stood beside her.

"You don't want to choose something too large, because we don't know yet how tall you're going to get. My bet is that your always going to be sorta small, so we should pick something that will work for you." He looked up at the shelves, trying to decide. She looked like she would make one heck of a swordswoman, but she also could be good at stealth operations. Large or small, large or small? 

"Why don't we try both?" He whispered to himself. The girl looked at him.

"Both of what?" She questioned, watching him grab a long sword with a thin blade and a tiny dagger. She grabbed the dagger out of his hand, placed it on the shelf and grabbed another one with a crooked blade.

"I like this one better."


	5. Chapter 5

**5. Driven**

Smellerbee practiced with both the sword and the dagger nonstop. She wanted to prove to the two older boys that she could definitely keep up with them, even if she was a girl. He long bushy hair was tied in a loose plait that ran down her back. Without the oils and soaps that her mother had used to tame it, it grew into a massive frizz. It was annoying.

She would wake up before anyone else and sneak into the kitchen, grabbing a couple of pieces of fruit and filling her water skin. She'd go out to the deepest part of the forest, where the light was nearly red from filtering through the leaves. She would build men from twigs and target the points that Jet had told her were prime for strikes. She would jump around the branches of the sky scraping trees, building her muscles and their memory for the odd angles that they worked at. She'd throw the dagger at makeshift targets until she could hit the bull's-eye every time.

Unbeknownst to Smellerbee, Longshot would always be near, keeping an eye on her. She was so young- definitely not older than maybe 7. Yet she had the build, the skill, and the drive of a veteran Fighter.

That's why he had decided to call her Smellerbee. She could always smell out the perfect opportunities, then sting like the angriest of bees.


	6. Chapter 6

**17. Reflection**

Finally the day came when Smellerbee could do no more to further her mastery. She'd been a Freedom Fighter for nearly three years. Today was the day when she would rid herself of the final semblance of her past- That silly mane of hair.

She went with Jet on a raid- her first, in fact, but that wasn't important. She had a goal in mind. She needed a mirror. Smellerbee didn't want to do an abysmal job, but she wasn't expecting Ba Sing Se's finest, either.

She waited until the rest of the group had things secured before she went into a feminine looking shop.

She was so out of her element. There were prim ladies all over, and there she was, a little forest rat. Her advantage, the dagger she wielded skillfully, was held in her mouth as she went and grabbed one of the small pieces of glass off the counter. The woman behind it looked angry, but she seemed to know better than to do anything.

Smellerbee was about to leave when she saw a little tin filled with red powder. Her curiosity piqued, so she took it. The others had already begun to leave, but Longshot stood at the forest's edge, waiting for her.

Back at the hideout, Smellerbee sat in her little room and looked into the mirror. Slowly, almost ceremoniously, she raised the dagger to her hair, and drawing a deep breath, she began to gnaw through it. It was almost painful, letting go of this, but she knew that it had to happen. Soon, she was left with a bob of bushy hair, but it was easier to deal with, even if the front keeps getting in her eyes.

"Here." A voice- _the _voice- says, and she turned to see Longshot offering her his old sash. It's blue and the ends are frayed, but it will do. She ties it around her forehead, and turns.

Her reflection in the mirror and the one in Longshot's eyes are two different things. She doesn't understand one of them, not yet.


	7. Chapter 7

It's many weeks before Smellerbee addresses the jar of thieved red powder. Before now, she didn't know what to do with it. The horrible oaf, Sneers, had told them a story at dinner the night previous. It had been of spirits with painted faces and their earthly deeds. He was always mean to her, yes, but he could tell a good story.

Smellerbee knew now that she wanted to distinguish herself like the spirits had, but she knew she was no where near that level. Instead of the ornate drawings described, she used the powder mixed with water to create two lines on either side of her face.

It wasn't too much, but it wasn't too little either. Smellerbee liked being at that cross roads.


	8. Chapter 8

**2. Warmth**

That winter hit them with a vengeance. Snow came from ever direction, and it even killed a few of the kids. Smellerbee was terrified of the frozen water.

One night, Longshot hears the wailing of the snow. It's gotten really bad- feet of it build up rapidly. He sees Jet, across the way, and they nod to one another. It was time to pair up all the younger children with someone older, just like they always did when the cold hit like this.

Usually, it went girls with girls, boys with boys- and it did, for the most part. When they came down to it, the numbers were uneven, and the snow was beginning to build barricades. For the time being ,everyone was secure- everyone except Smellerbee. Longshot's heart raced as he rode zip lines and jumped between branches and platforms till he reached her residence.

"Longshot!" Jet shouted. He look in that direction, and saw him smiling. "She's waiting for you. You have the warmest room, you know." Longshot looked at him, then smiled. She was always smelling out the best opportunities.

When she felt his form curling around hers, she felt much better. He would protect her from the ice, because he was always warm.


	9. Chapter 9

**31. Silence**

"Why don't you ever talk?" Asked one of the younger, newer recruits. He was small, and he hadn't yet found his weapon. Pipsqueak, one of the largest and nicest Fighters, took a liking to him right away, just as Jet and Longshot had bonded with Smellerbee. He called himself The Duke.

Smellerbee laid on a branch nearby, smiling. She looked up as Longshot stared down at the boy, clearly uncomfortable. She decided that she would come to His Silence's aid, yet again.

"Longshot talks- but only when something is important. Well, no. that's a lie. He talks all the time- but not like you and I do. He speaks through expressions. Once you learn to read him, he's like a book. Hardly anybody figures it out, though, which is a shame really. He's got some good stuff to say." She patted Longshot's bicep, and he looked at her. Could she really read him that well?

"Course I can!" She replied. The Duke looked at them, confusion brewing in his mind. This place was weird…He liked it. After a moment's more observance, he headed off to see if he could find Pipsqueak. Maybe they could get together some of the others and play tree top tag.

Jet patted The Duke's head as he entered the deck area where Bee and Longshot probably were.

"Longshot, Smellerbee!" the silent archer and the pint sized swordswoman looked at him. Something was off, but he couldn't quite place it…

"Yeah Jet?" She asked.

"You guys wanna go swimming?" Jet had just checked the pond that they normally swam in, and it was finally warm enough.

"Sure." Bee replied. Longshot nodded, and Jet finally figured out what was wrong.

Longshot looked, for maybe the first time, like he was stunned. For some reason, this made Jet really uncomfortable. What had just happened?

Longshot noticed Jet looking at him and he shrugged, forcing his face back into it's normal mask of indifference. He hadn't thought that bee could understand him so well, and having someone be able to read his silence so easily made him feel like he couldn't hide. He didn't like that feeling.


	10. Chapter 10

**1. Birthday**

Three seasons had passed, and Autumn had arrived again. Smellerbee climbed the one of the trees in the brisk and chilly morning so she could sit and watch the sunrise. Today was a special day to her, and nobody had ever found out about this ritual she had held every year since she'd come to the forest.

The inky sky turned to smoky violet, then to the deep pinks and oranges associated with the rising sun. in the time before she was Smellerbee, her parents would always wake her up to watch this with her. Her two brothers- both older- would be outside, tending to the gardens and the ostrich horses. She sat on her branch, a shiver shaking her. A tear streaked down her cheek and she brushed it away, smiling.

"Happy Birthday, Smellerbee." She whispered to herself. Today she was eleven years old. A twig cracked behind her, but when she turned, nothing was there. She reasoned to herself that it was probably just a possum squirrel.

It wasn't. Longshot was always up early- it was easier to find an uninhibited part of the forest so he could practice without fear of hurting anyone. It surprised him to see Smellerbee scramble out of her tent and into the trees, still wearing pajamas and without her red stripes. He'd followed her, trying his hardest to stay quiet.

When he'd heard her wish herself happy birthday, he felt bad. He and Jet had thought that she probably didn't know her birthday, so when New Years rolled around, they would always give her some small trinkets, just as they did for all the others. Now he knew.

When he was climbing down, he'd nearly cursed when his foot landed on a twig and snapped. Longshot pressed himself against the tree trunk and hoped she didn't see him. A few moments passed, and he skittered down to wake Jet.

That night when Smellerbee went back to her room, an extra slice of lemon tart in her hand, two parcels wrapped in brown paper sat on her pallet. In one was a brass breast plate lined with leather. It made her look pot bellied, but she liked it anyway. In the other was a pair of white gloves made of strong hide. They were wrapped in a piece of green silk that snagged on her calloused hands. She held it close for a moment, then smiled, a plan in her mind.

_Happy birthday, Smellerbee._


	11. Chapter 11

**43. Thanks**

Longshot found the green silk satchel attached to a tree by one of his own arrows. It had been there for a little while, it's placer obviously believing in his ability to find it. The silk patch was stained with mud and grit, but no animals had attacked it yet.

He pulled it out and untied the satchel, and inside were tons of tiny arrow heads- stone ones and steel ones, some in shades of blue and green and even orange. He looked at the arrow in his hand, the point he'd cut himself dull. These were all sharp with notches cut in the bottom. He could see the blade marks in it, and he smiled. The silk, the cuts- they were all her. They were Smellerbee. His heart accelerated, and he smiled widely. It was very rare when Longshot let himself feel like this. He was glad to be alone.


	12. Chapter 12

**48. Secret**

He noticed how Jet would disappear into the forest with a girl every once in a while, and Longshot was no fool as to what happened. In the tree tops, ignorance wasn't an option. Jet would always come back in the quiet of the night, and the girl would be returned to her village. The smile on Jet's face told Longshot almost too much.

"Longshot, you're getting older. You know your going to feel… strange, right?" Jet told him one day when they were alone. The remnants of a fire smoldered between them and the stars shone above him. Oh spirits, he thought, this is going to be awkward. Longshot nodded.

"Well… Oh forget it. You know this already. But wait for her. Let her grow up first." Longshot looked at him. Just stared. What was he talking about? He… he didn't have those feelings toward anyone yet, did he? No, of course not.

"Shut up. You might not see it yet, but its happening. All the time. She doesn't see it yet, and you obviously don't yet, but I promise, you will see one day."

Longshot laid in his bed that night, thinking about that conversation. Did he have those feelings? He thought about it. Jet meant that it was someone who was younger, and that he was supposed to let her grow- oh.

Jet meant Smellerbee. He knew that he and Bee had a different relationship than the others, but he didn't think it was one of… those kinds. He couldn't imagine doing those things that Jet did in the forest. He was only thirteen, nearly fourteen. Jet was fifteen. To him, that was a gap. But… At the same time, Longshot wanted to believe him.

Not just because he didn't want to think that his friend and mentor was telling him lies, but because… Smellerbee wasn't any girl. She was someone who he just _knew._ She knew him so well that it literally shook him and scared him, because when he could hide anything from the others, but never from her. She could fight like the best of them, but also be as gentle as a mother. These new feelings would be hell to keep secret, especially from _her._

He rolled over, his solid foundation shaken. Seeing Bee would be really awkward now.

"Thanks Jet." He whispered to the night air, sarcasm tainting his voice.


	13. Chapter 13

**25. Sneeze**

Smellerbee hated being sick. Especially this kind of sick. The infection had attacked the Fighters with a monstrous retaliation, incapacitating most of them. Jet, Longshot, Pipsqueak, Sneers and a few others were unaffected and left to take care of them all.

She sat in her room and watched the snow fall. Winter was nearing its end, and the snow was less scary than that blizzard. She didn't want to be in it, but she didn't want to be trapped in this stupid room anymore either. She'd spent two weeks coughing her lungs up and dealing with headaches and intense stomach pain. She was, to say the least, irritable.

When Jet came in with a pot of tea and two cups, she wanted to punch him. Not for any good reason- he wasn't sick, and that was enough for her nonsensical ill self. After he'd poured the tea, she sneezed on him, just to make herself feel better.

Jet laughed, but when he left he took a bath in the icy river. He hated being sick, too.


	14. Chapter 14

**8. Roses**

Longshot saw the flowers and had an idea. He wrapped one around his arrow, the thorns stabbing him a few times, and shot it at the ground by her feet. She yelped when it hit, but when she examined it, she looked up, but he was out of her sight.

She unwrapped the flower and smiled at it. It looked like the kind that used to grow in her mothers garden. She remembered how she had been taught to carefully scrape the points off with a blade, and did so.

Longshot felt a light feeling grow in his chest when he saw the rose in an old wooden bowl on her cupboard later that night.


	15. Chapter 15

**36. Race**

Every year the Freedom fighters held their own summer games. Since all the kids came from different backgrounds, they all had some sport that was near and dear to them. The wrestled, the earth benders had their own mini Earth Rumble. They did sword fights, of course, and any of the archers who wanted to try to beat Longshot were allowed to do so. The one thing that everyone always loved though, were the races.

The Fighters were a fast lot. They were agile and flexible from living in the trees and they had spent a lot of time running around, the need to be faster than their opponent driving them.

The kids all split into teams. Six teams of ten kids who all had special talents. The two fastest kids were always fought over; those kids being The Duke and Smellerbee, of course. The Duke was, for the first time, not on a team with Pipsqueak, and he felt nervous. He held his helmet, tweaking the fabric on the inside in circles until it was wrinkled beyond his control. He looked down and sighed, smiling despite himself.

As a couple of the earth bender kids who had found their way to the Fighters created the race track boundaries, he saw Pipsqueak across the way, giving him a small smile. He was on a team with Smellerbee, actually, but he still was rooting for his best friend.

The duke looked to Jet, sitting in the trees atop the finish line. Besides him sat Longshot, and Jet was talking to him, pausing every once in a while for Longshot's silent response. He smiled, happy that the boundaries of the teams were no match for the friendships established. Finally, The Duke took a deep breath and looked at his biggest opponent.

Smellerbee sat on the ground, staring up at Jet and Longshot, just as he had. He watched as Longshot noticed her and grinned, expressing the most emotion The Duke had ever seen from him. He was glad to know that she was looking for support from her best friend, as well.

"Okay, guys! Time for the races to begin!" The Duke stood up and went to his lane. Besides him was a boy, maybe two years older, with short black hair. He recalled his name being Grenade, and he had a shared love of blasting jelly. The other opponents were Smellerbee, of course, a girl much older than any of the opponents named Shootup, called so for her ability to get to the tops of the trees faster than any of them, and another boy who The Duke had never met. They all shed their shoes and any excess clothing that would slow them down, then ducked down into crouches. The Duke felt sick with nerves.

"Alright. Ready… Set…. GO!" They all erupted from their starts and shot across the course. The Duke's heart accelerated insanely. He kept his head down, his eyes following the track intently. He distantly heard the rumbling cheers of the crowd. He kept running and running until… He hit something, and was no longer conscious.

The Duke woke up later on the dining platform, the entirety of the Fighters sitting around the table, laughing and partying merrily.

"Good morning, The Duke!" Pipsqueak said when he noticed The Duke had awoken. "You won, if you didn't know that." The giant bruise on his forehead was worth it.

**Author's Note! **the beginning of the toss in of some of our beloved tertiary characters. (Since Jet and Smellerbee and Longshot are secondary… my logic is weird. Whatever.)


	16. Chapter 16

**11. Kingdom**

Sneers walked along, enjoying the peace. He loved the constant brawl and excitement of the Freedom Fighters, but he also loved quiet. He had so much turmoil pent up inside him from the weeks of hiding.

He'd run away young. He had been maybe four years old, but his father had been taken and forced to fight, and his mother had died of heart ache. He was an orphan, just as much as any of the Fighters, and the Fire Nation had made him as such, but in a different way.

Somehow, he'd made it across the seas and into the Earth Kingdom. Some pirates who held no prejudices had picked him up, and he'd run away from them the second they made it to the shore. Those pirates had been so terrible. Sneers reached up and grabbed a branch, hauling himself into the trees. He was not as fast as many, but he loved making it to the tops. It made him feel accomplished.

Once he'd made it to the Earth Kingdom, he'd spent his time learning how to beg and steal like the best of them. He found his own place in a forest far away from here. He'd begun to travel when he heard that the troops would be coming in. He was too young to fight them.

Back then, he'd used a stolen cross bow as his weapon of choice. It had been large and clumsy, yet extremely powerful. Plus he could use the arrows to spear things to roast over the fire.

He was almost to the top. It felt good, the heat building in his body.

Finally, he'd reached the Fighters. He'd hid his true self well from that point on, earning his name for the temper that most of his people possessed.

As he breached the red leaves, he looked around to make sure he was alone. Then he took a deep breath and held out a hand. Within moments, a tiny flame appeared on it. He felt the release that accompanied it, and smiled.

**Author's note!** Somebody had to be a fire bender. Sneers was as good as any, especially since we know nothing about him.

And I just started to remember I can do authors notes… yep.


	17. Chapter 17

**29. Butterflies **

Boy were clumsy, that much Smellerbee knew. The thing she liked about the Freedom Fighters was that they were better at being careful about their actions. Whenever they slipped up, however, she felt annoyed.

She was laying in a hammock she'd spent forever pitching, making sure there was no way it would fall since she was hanging high up in the branches, nothing but foliage and branches below her. It was a rush to get in there, to trust her weight to the rope.

Above her, the red leaves opened up and sun shone in. After a while, it seemed like hundreds of butterflies were flittering above her, every color you could imagine being represented.

"Hey Smellerbee." She heard the familiar smooth voice of Jet.

"Hi." She whispered ,the sun warming her small frame. She didn't have to open her eyes to know that jet was sitting on a branch to her left.

"Why do you let these things up here? They're all in the way of the sun."

"They're pretty, Jet." He laughed at the condescending tone of her voice. She opened her eyes just at the right time to see him pluck one of them out, his fingers holding onto a fragile wing.

"Jet! You idiot!" She sat up and swatted at him. He dropped the insect and she caught it in her glove, holding it gingerly.

"What?" He looked annoyed. She looked angry.

"You never should touch a butterfly's wings! It kills them!" She remembered that from her mother, who had yelled at her brother in a similar way.

"Oh… Is it dying?"

"I don't know." Even if both of them had slain many, many people and animals, they both felt guilty staring at the small insect, fluttering it's wings sadly.


	18. Chapter 18

**34. Suture **

Just as boys could be clumsy, girls could too. Most of the girls in the freedom fighters group were actually older than her, and usually a lot more graceful. Smellerbee hadn't been born with a graceful bone in her body, of that she was convinced.

She was practicing in group- Jet, Longshot, herself, The Duke, Sneers, and Pipsqueak acting as the raiding party, and any of the fighters who weren't busy were the enemy. They all wore really strong armor that was variably impenetrable. Longshot was supposed to only be hitting clothes and pinning, Smellerbee was only supposed to hit the vital spots. Pipsqueak wasn't allowed to use his log, and Sneers was only hitting vitals as well. The Duke could do whatever he had to, since he used no weapons.

Five minutes in, most of the opposing team was pinned to trees or lying down, pretending to be dead. Longshot was sitting in the trees, watching Smellerbee laugh and smile like a child as she went through, making X shapes in the fabric that covered the armor of others.

She went up against one of the oldest in the group, a guy trained with daggers and swords as well. They were equals, even if she was at least seven years younger than he. She looked overjoyed.

Smellerbee had opted out of the thicker armor, just as all the others in the raiding party. She had some hits on him ,but none in the vital areas. A lash of silver went by and…

Bee yelped and traded her dagger to the other hand. Longshot stood up, suddenly worried. What had happened? She always led with her left, unless she fought with two swords. She went on for a few seconds, doing her best to get a hit on the guy. Her smile was gone, replaced by a thin grimace. Finally, she slipped two thin lines right over his heart, and he sat down, his face angry. Smellerbee grabbed one of the zip cords and slipped down, abandoning the fight. Longshot hopped down a few of the branches and followed her.

Bee sat down in her hut and pulled her gloves off with her teeth, wincing when she lifted her left arm. Clumsily, she undid her brass chest plate and worked it off. Longshot entered the hut and looked at her.

"I messed up, Longshot." He dropped his bow by the entrance and sat by her.

"Owww…" Smellerbee whimpered when he slid her sleeve up. It wouldn't go up enough, so he ripped the fabric around the wound and used her dagger to slash up the fabric.

"Oh, Bee…" He whispered. She had a four inch cut on her arm, and it was deep. Really deep.

"That bad?" He nodded. She muttered a few very colorful curses. He looked at her, silently telling her he'd be back. She nodded and leaned back, resting her head against the tree trunk her room was built around.

Longshot went to get four things- a thin bone needle, a bit of thread, some of the strongest fire whiskey he could find, and a square of clean cloth. When he returned, she reached for the bottle in his hand.

"This is gonna suck, I know it. I wanna be as out of it as I possibly can." She told him, then chugged down the bottle's contents. He was impressed. She set it down, then laid on her back, her arm offered out to him. Longshot had his needle threaded and was ready. He shoved the piece of fabric in her and, and she put it between her teeth.

When he finished his clumsy sewing, Smellerbee was effectively drunk. He knew she wouldn't remember most of this in the morning.

"Longshot! I wuv you, you know dat?" She told him, pulling herself up. She tried to stand, but she toppled. Longshot caught her. "Do you wuv me too, Longshot?" She asked him, laughing.

"Yes, Smellerbee." He told her, because what else could he say? She smiled at him, then kissed his cheek. She laughed audibly at the color on his face.

"Shy liddle Longshot! Haha, I wuv Longshot, and Longshot wuvs meee!" She screamed, and he shushed her. It was going to be a long night.

**Author's Note! **I've always wanted to write Smellerbee drunk… I feel like the only thing that would be better than that would be writing Longshot drunk.


	19. Chapter 19

**42. Reunite**

It was their last raid with the Fighters. After the incident with the village, Smellerbee had had enough and told Jet that they had to leave. They hadn't decided where, yet, but they knew they'd be leaving in a few days.

They were at the furthest outskirt of the forest, and the clouds above looked threateningly. Pipsqueak's heart was heavier than the log on his back or the boy on his shoulder. They had decided to leave, as well, and try to find a way to help directly. The Duke hunched over on Pipsqueak's shoulder, the sorrow in the air of the raiding party nearly tangible to him.

Jet refused to acknowledge this. He and Sneers had had a negotiations meeting; Sneers would watch over the Fighters and the hide out. He walked with purpose, his head held high.

Sneers, besides him, couldn't feel any sort of joy at becoming the leader. He'd been happy enough to allow Jet that responsibility. He was also afraid that someone would learn who he truly was, and it made him jittery and nervous.

Longshot and Smellerbee brought up the rear. They were maybe the most bothered by this- Longshot and Jet had created the Freedom Fighters together, and it felt like he was losing a part of his identity.

Smellerbee had been born here. She'd been another girl entirely before this; when she'd been found by Longshot, she'd been reborn into a different version of herself. She was leaving everything that had ever defined her, except for Longshot, Jet, and her daggers. She wanted to cry, and probably would before they left. Since today was their last raid, Smellerbee felt like a part of herself was breaking.

None of them really could recall the raid; they felt no joy, no sense of accomplishment, nothing. All there was, was an air of melancholy.

When they got back, Jet sat at the head of the dining table. Most of the kids chatted contentedly- the feeling here was a lot better than that of the raiding party's. Jet looked at his people, his legacy, and felt an odd combination of emotions- pride, sorrow, hatred, happiness, and anger. Mostly, he was proud.

"Hey guys, I have a riddle. 'you're on a rock train with your friends and loved ones, and you know where you hope it will take you, but you can't be sure weather you'll actually get there, but it doesn't matter because…'?" He looked around at the group. All of them were thinking it over. He waited anxiously.

" Because you'll be together." The Duke said. He smiled.

"Right. Most of you know that Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, Pipsqueak and I are all leaving. Sneers here is going to take over for me. We're going to be gone for a while, that's for sure. We don't know where we're going, but that's okay because we always know where we're going to end up." He looked around and noticed he had complete attention. He sighed, sadly.

"Each and every one of us is going to be here, in the end. We are going to come back. We built this together place together. This is our home, and we will always return." Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then Pipsqueak raised his cup.

"To safe return!" His voice boomed, and a cheer went up. The dinner soon turned into a celebration.

Smellerbee left early and went to find her hammock. Longshot followed her after a little while. He found her laying down, watching the stars. Birds sat all around her, in their nests, asleep. Wind blew, rocking the hammock.

"Longshot?" She asked, sitting up. She scooted over, and he sat, feeling unstable on the rope.

"Take off the quiver and your bow. My dagger's over there- there's more room that way." He obeyed, and when he leaned back, He was much more comfortable.

"I'm scared." She told him, and he looked at her. Her eyes were so easy to read- she didn't want to leave her home, her family. She didn't want to know what they would find in Ba Sing Se.

"Me too." He told her. She moved closer to him, begging for comfort. Longshot put his arms around her, and she buried her face in his shoulder. They laid like that for hours, literally hours, before Longshot heard her whisper to him.

"Promise me that, no matter what, we'll come back here. Promise me that you'll never leave me." He nodded.

"Good. I won't leave you either. I promise." She closed her eyes, letting the soft swaying motion lull her to sleep. Longshot watched her, and he was afraid.

**Author's notes! **Sad promises, care of Jet… Followed by some fluff. They're about to leave ,you guys! Jet's gonna be gone soon… That will be an awful chapter to write. I hope I do justice to it.


	20. Chapter 20

**35. Crouch**

Jet and The Duke sat in the trees before sunrise the next morning. The Duke hadn't noticed yet, but Jet could see the hammock which contained a blue figure and a small black figure. A straw hat was dangling from the bottom of the hammock. He smiled.

"So where are you guys gonna go?" The Duke asked him. Jet looked at the young boy and smiled.

"No clue. How bout you?" Jet leaned back against the tree trunk and watched his friends in the distance.

"We think we're gonna go and try to find the Avatar. See if there's anything we can do." Jet nodded, remembering the girl… Katara. He winced, remembering his screw up.

"Will you say hi to Katara for me? And tell her… I'm sorry." He looked down at the branches, stretching forever, it seemed.

"Tell her yourself. Come with us." The duke said, pulling his helmet off.

"Nah. I can't do that, especially with you guys. She- all of them, actually, will just think I'm lying." He sighed. "No, you guys go. Have fun and bag some serious fire nation…butt, for me, alright?" The Duke snickered.

"Course Jet." The younger boy promised, smiling. He put his helmet back on and crouched, then propelled himself off the branch and onto another one. He went on this way until he reached the zip line system.

He looked away from the boy hurtling himself down the trees and to his friends laying in the hammock. Longshot tried to sit up and climb out, and Jet chuckled to himself when he saw the pair of white gloved hands reach out and grab his arm. Longshot's head turned and looked down at the small girl, and he let himself be pulled down.

To anyone who just passed by, they were a bunch of kids crouching in the trees. But they were a fully developed society, filled with all the drama of adult life. Jet knew that he and Longshot were responsible for this, and it filled him with a sense of pride, knowing he'd helped created a safe haven.

**Author's Note.** Jet's reminiscing. He loves his legacy. One of many somber chapters, yet to come.


	21. Chapter 21

**20. Shamrock**

Longshot was on watch when Shootup came to see him.

"Hey Longshot." Said the girl who was maybe a year or two older. She was one who couldn't remember her birthday. Longshot nodded to her.

"Why are you guys leaving?" She asked him, staring at the ground.

"Jet." Shootup couldn't read him like Smellerbee or Jet.

"Oh. Well… we'll miss you guys." She looked at Longshot sadly. " But you are coming back right? I know Pipsqueak and The Duke are going to come back as soon as their job is finished. But you… You and Jet built the Fighters. This is your legacy, too. You have to come back… Especially if Jet decides not to. We need you, and we need Bee." Longshot looked at her, saw the truth in her eyes.

Shootup looked down at the tree trunk- Weird foliage sometimes grew on the branches, and here was a bunch of shamrocks growing out of a patch of moss.

"Here. For good luck." She offered him a clover- not four leaves, like it was supposed to be, but the normal three lobed type.

He looked at the plant in the girl's hand, then looked at her face, a splatter of freckles across her nose and giant grey eyes hovering above them. She too carried a bow, a long bow, not a short like his. She'd trained under him for a while. She'd helped him with Smellerbee, all those years ago. Shootup was a good person.

"Thank you." He grabbed it.

"And also?" She took a deep breath. " Bring Jet back." She looked worried, and he saw the passion in her eyes. She liked him. A lot.

"I'll do my best." Shootup looked at him, the seriousness his face radiated. She nodded and grabbed another shamrock.

%%%%%%%%%%

Shootup reached Jet's room. A light shone out of the bottom of the room, so she entered.

"What's up?" He asked her.

"Promise me you'll come back. Please." She took a few steps toward him. He looked at her, bewildered.

"Sure, Shootup." He looked at her. Her hair was pulled back on top, the free part in a straight bob. Her bow was over her shoulder, nearly as tall as her, and painted with greens and whites. She'd made it herself.

"I promise." She smiled a shy smile at him, then went over and kissed him on the cheek.

"For good luck."

%%%%%%%%%%

Smellerbee was asleep. Her dagger sat on the stool besides her, so Shootup opened the sheath and shoved the leafy plant inside.

"Bring them back. I trust you the most, little girl." And she did. Girls were always the reason that boys kept their promises.

**Author's Note! **Shootup is the adoptive mother of the Fighters, and Jet is the father. Momma Bear wants to make sure all her cubs come back. Also, I am an archer, which is half the reason I love Longshot so much. It was natural that Shootup be an archer, too. I don't know, maybe she's a Mary Sue. I don't really care, since she's pretty minor.


	22. Chapter 22

Smellerbee was one of those who hated repetition. She liked things to change from day to day, for life to deviate from the norm. Only one thing in her life had stayed the same in the six years that she had been a fighter.

It wasn't Jet- he changed his mind every three seconds and disappeared for days at a time. He brought girls around and then they vanished and she never saw them again. He planned things and made odd decisions, then cancelled or flipped them at the last second. Jet was too confusing to be stable.

It wasn't her weapons choice, either. She preferred the crooked dagger to anything ,it was true- but she was a master. She could fight with swords and spears and daggers. She could also fight with her scenery. Almost anything, really- except the bow. A cross bow, yes, but the simple bow and arrow? It wasn't for her.

The only thing that had the consistency and the longevity to stay in her life, to be her rock, was Longshot. He never wasn't there- but she constantly feared the day he would be gone.


	23. Chapter 23

**14. Crest**

He'd had a family crest, once. Longshot had been so little, but he could remember it. It had been a green ostrich horse with an eagle's head, surrounded by gold. It hung over his family's dining room table. They'd had a small wealth, before the fire.

His village had been attacked in the earliest hours of the morning- he'd awoken to the shill screaming of his mother. He never had heard his father scream- he'd been a quiet man as well. His mother had just talked and talked and talked and she'd been so annoying, sometimes… but she was an amazing mother. She's sung him songs all the time, and read to him, and taught him how to write… She'd been the reason he was educated. His father taught him weapons mastery- he'd had plenty of time with daggers like Smellerbee, but he'd never been good at them. He and his father had both been good archers- His father had almost made Yu Yan. The only thing stopping him was his nationality.

She'd run into his room, and he'd been terrified by the panic on her face. He stood up, still clutching the red blanket that had been on his bed. He'd been so young…

His mother had grabbed his hand and yanked him out of the room, thrusting a pair of boots into his arm.

"Wait here. I'll be back in a minute." She said, and he stayed in the hall, pulling the boots on and tying the blanket around his neck. It was cold- there was snow on the ground. More screaming, and he sat down, terrified.

"Hyo!" He heard his father calling for him. He stood and ran towards the dining room. His father stood there at the hands of a fire bender, his bow taught and pointed in the face of his opponent. The boy, Hyo, stood behind the door's entrance and watched.

It happened so fast. The soldier let loose a burst of flame, and his father loosed the arrow. All Hyo had seen was the bow hit the floor and that silly crest go up in flames. He hid when the soldier ran out of the room.

"Dad?" He whispered quietly. He walked in to find the sight of his father's flesh burned and pink, charred in some place3s. It made his stomach want to retch. He kept it down as well as he could.

"Hyo…" A hand reached over to the bow, which had escaped relatively unscathed. "Take this. Get away. Keep us alive in your heart… take care of your next family, whomever they may be."

Longshot had run away. Some how, he'd met Jet… and the rest was history. He changed everything about himself except for that silly blanket, worn and torn and burned from years of use, his fathers bow, and the promise he'd made that terrible night.


	24. Chapter 24

**40. Water **

They were all separating soon, and Jet wanted them to do something once more. As a family. As his family.

So he threw a beach party. The cooks made grilled mangoes with sweet cream, fresh breads, skewers of all sorts of seasoned meats.. The spread was delicious. Pipsqueak helped him put logs in a circle near the river, then move boulders to create a fire pit. A rope or two were tied to branches so that you could swing into the water, and everything was complete.

They had fun. The party went by quickly, weapons accumulating on the bank. He watched Smellerbee swinging from the ropes, screaming when she let go and plunged into the water.

Everyone wore their skivvies, and everyone had gone in the water. Jet and Smellerbee had tag teamed on Longshot, yanking off his shirt, shoes, hat, arrows, and bow. Pipsqueak had picked him up and dropped him in the water. Longshot hadn't been happy, but when Jet saw Smellerbee and him disappear into the forest together, he knew it would be all right. He was never mad at Smellerbee for long.

The duke had taken it upon himself to light the bonfire, using a few logs that he had generously greased in blasting jelly to start things with… a bang. They'd talked, laughed, told stories, put on plays, and anything else they could think of, long into the night. Jet vaguely remembered the sun rising as he trudged back to camp, his clothes in his hand.

He awoke in someone else's bed. A warm figure was beside him. When he opened his eyes to see Shootup, He blushed. She was still dead asleep. It was probably late afternoon, and he knew he should probably get up and check out the damage, but he just couldn't force himself to leave her side.

Who knew when he'd have this opportunity again, anyway?


	25. Chapter 25

**4. Sunset**

Smellerbee, The Duke, Longshot, Jet, and Pipsqueak sat in the trees. Smellerbee and Longshot and jet were squished into her hammock, while the duke laid on a branch somewhere over Pipsqueak's head.

"I'm gonna miss this." Smellerbee whispered, staring at the sky with it's ever changing colors. The oranges, the blues, greens, pinks… it was all gorgeous.

"We'll see it again. I'm sure of it." Pipsqueak told them all. The Duke looked down to see his eyes closed, the rays of the sun covering his face. A Slight smile crossed his face.

"Yeah. We'll always be Freedom Fighters." Jet said. "Freedom Fighters stick together, no matter What…" He trailed off, and everyone was left in silence.

Tomorrow, they would be leaving.

**Author's note! This is the end of the .. The end of the fighters as we know them. But Jet's right. Freedom fighters stick together, and that's the gospel truth.**

**Man… now it's gonna be all depressing. Oh well. It fits in. I have to go back to school in a week and one day… ugh.**

**Enjoy. And please don't eat my face because I'm not updating as much… things are getting hectic. **


	26. Chapter 26

**46. Dirt**

In the faint like, Longshot could see the small clouds of dirt his feet were kicking up. He didn't dare look up, for fear of seeing storm clouds. Whenever he looked up and saw them, it rained on him. He had awful luck, it seemed.

He walked over to a tree and slid down it, bark catching his clothes, pulling them out of their place. He didn't care. Everyone seemed so damned miserable, and he was thoroughly sick of it. If this was how the rest of the trip was going to be, he wanted to head off in the direction of home, dragging Smellerbee in tow. Jet needed a little perspective, and, as horrible as it was, Longshot didn't care if he did it alone. He knew the mantra; "freedom Fighters always stick together." Well, sometimes, maybe they didn't.

As the thought passed in his head, he regretted it. No matter how angry he was, he knew what had to be done. He sighed and looked up, daring the water to pour from the sky. He smiled, then looked down, his fingers grasping the little grains of dirt. Each one of them was so small… but there were so many, and when they were combined, they helped to create an entire earth. Maybe that was something big and metaphorical and relevant, but Longshot didn't really care.

Because it was dirt, and that was the end of that.

AUTHORS NOTE! Oh my god guys, I am so sorry. I totally suck. School and social life and all sorts of other things have kept me from writing from far too long.

But that's a terrible excuse. I can find a little time to write these little things at least.

I'm sorry. I should be working on It Takes More Than That in my next bout of free time. Until then, my loving fans.

Also, if you have a tumblr, tell me! I'll follow you. If you don't, go check it out.


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